Trey Radel made the right decision when he resigned from Congress Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said.
“Well, first off I think he did the right thing for his family. He did the right thing for this state,” Gov. Rick Scott told reporters in Miami, after the southwest Florida Republican representative said he was stepping down in a resignation letter to House Speaker John Boehner. “And I’m glad he’s getting it taken care of. I think he went to rehab.”
Radel pleaded guilty to a cocaine possession charge last year. He then took a leave of absence as he spent nearly a month at a rehab program for alcoholism in Naples.
He returned to Capitol Hill at the beginning of the year, insisting that he would not step down. But his office confirmed to NBC News on Monday that Radel would resign effective at 6:30 p.m.
The governor said he is working with the secretary of state’s office to announce when an election will be held for Radel’s replacement.
